Exploring creativity, changing the planet & the art of being fully human

Lifecycle principles

I wonder if the sad state that many Christians/Churches end in that I mentioned in my previous post, can be better avoided.A few principles I can think of off the top that might be able to turn the tide in our local churches

– What if we created a church, not of only members, ministers, and missionaries, but a church of church planters (faith community creators)?

– What if churches embraced the reality that there is a very typical lifecycle (birth, learning, growing, interacting, producing, staleness, death, etc) to followers of Jesus? Might we be able to better engage people in each of these stages and create openings for new ‘cycles’?

– It’s widely known that in the typical church in the west, only about 20% of members are ‘active’ possibly. Could it be because service opportunities are not broad enough to engage the energy and passions of their members? What if the apex of church was not a sermon, or a gathering, or meeting a strategic goal, but Christ glorified on earth in every single way imaginable?

– What if we really took seriously the innovator’s curve within the church? What if we didn’t only recognize there’s a whole spectrum to how people are engaged within a community, but that people are engaged differently within their only lifetimes (ie. times for freeing people, pressing people, and allowing people heal, grieve, grow, etc.)

A church with a church planting culture could consistently and intentionally freed innovators and early adopters to begin new ministries, plant new house churches and congregations. The majority and laggards could continue in their context always having the possibility of doing something more ‘innovative’ as they are ready.

Enjoy your thoughts, Lon. I think the challenge of engaging way more that 20% of the people connected to a church is one of the biggest. We’re moving towards a strong project orientation which is definitely helping to engage people on the fringes.

Lon,
Just found your site tonight. Your thoughts on lifecycle are interesting; I will give it further thought. Thanks for what you do. I spent 16 years in the church industry; never could figure it out. Now I work in a psych hospital. THAT makes perfect sense!

Hey Sam, that’s good to hear. I wonder if part of the service opportunities being limited, is we tend to think all of it needs to happen within the church… but there’s a world of possibility ‘out there’!

Larry, thanks so much for tuning in! your blog looks interesting as well, i’d love to hear some of your thoughts in reflection after leaving the ‘industry’ and how things have been working for you since!